Using Ground Source Heat Pumps for Heating
Ground source heat pumps present a somewhat affordable and eco friendly way to use spare heat from the earth for heating and cooling both residential and commercial buildings. Early set-up costs can be quite a bit higher than traditional air-source systems, but geothermal heat pumps provide greatly lower ownership costs over the long run. Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) are systems that work with the earth?s heat to provide heating, cooling and hot water for commercial institutions and housing establishments. The systems are designed to take advantage of the fact that temperatures stay at a nearly constant level of amongst 7 C and 21 C just a handful of feet under the ground, irrespective of geographic area or surface air temperatures. Through winter, the systems essentially extract heat from the ground and shift it to a commercial building or home, although in summer the systems draw out heat from inside buildings and move it to the ground. Ground source heat pumps are electrically powered and are sometimes referred to as geothermal heat pumps, or geo-exchange pumps, or simply as earth-coupled heat pumps. A full-fledged GSHP system consists of a heat pump, a ground loop system for taking in heat from the ground or rejecting it back to the ground, and air ducts or radiant floor systems for giving the hot or cold air. The ground loop system normally is composed of several loops of plastic tubing loaded with antifreeze liquid or water, buried underground in horizontal or vertical style. Throughout winter, the liquid in the loops gathers heat from the earth and forces it to the heat pump when a compressor raises the temperature even more before circulating it throughout the building. The flow of the liquid inside the loops is reversed in the course of summer. This results in the warmer air being drawn out from the building and transferred to the earth while cooler liquid is circulated back to the heat pump and then all the way through the building. An open loop system functions in pretty much the same style, but in such cases the liquid in the loops is usually ejected into the ground. Ground source heat pumps have been in use since the 1940s and are regarded as a more eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to conventional air-transfer based heating and cooling systems. Research have proven that GSHP systems have heating efficiencies up to 70% higher than regular systems and cooling efficiencies of nearly 40% more than air-conditioners. The primary cost of setting up a geothermal heat pump can be quite difficult compared to conventional heating and cooling systems. However, over the long-term the pumps are less expensive to own and to maintain. They also can deliver up to 50% savings on energy usage. In most cases, a geothermal heat pump is put in along with an air-source heat pump as a way to decrease initial installation costs. Learn more details about Ground Source Heat Pumps

